In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Heart"

Does Your Sermon Outline Serve You Or Do You Serve It?

By Joe Hoagland on Jan 19, 2026

Think you don’t need a sermon outline? Discover why using one can sharpen your message, increase clarity, and enhance your connection with the congregation.

Tags: Preaching, preaching tips, sermon prep, Sermon outline, Sermon Prep, preaching, Sermon prep, Preaching Tips, Sermon Outline, Preaching Structure  (view more)  (view less)

Why No One Cares About Your Mission Statement – And Neither Should You

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 7, 2021

Does your church have a mission statement? Could most of the people in your church repeat it? If the answer is ‘no’, I have one word for you. Relax.

Tags: Preaching, Mission Statement, preaching

If Your Church Is Drifting And Stuck, Should You Try To Change It From Within?

By Jonathan Herron on Jan 11, 2022

What do you do if you’re a frustrated support staff member of a visionless church? Do you try to change things from within?

Tags: church planting, Church Death, pastoral leadership, Church and change

Your Struggling Church Can Turn Around Today – But Greatness Takes Time

By Karl Vaters on Aug 22, 2023

If you’re pastoring a church that has or is turning around, here's some great news - and possibly your greatest challenge.

Scripture: Revelation 21:5

Tags: leadership, renewal, patience, Church Health, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Jesus Didn’t Wake Up This Morning Depressed By The Size Of Your Church

By Karl Vaters on Apr 17, 2022

Jesus knows what happened and didn’t happen in church last Sunday.

Tags: Depression, Marriage Faithfulness, Church Attendance, God's perspective, e, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

How To (Finally) Stop Giving In To The Pressure To Add More Ministries In Your Church

By Carey Nieuwhof on Sep 26, 2023

When you’re a church leader, you feel a lot of pressure.

Tags: focus, Simplicity, Church Body of Christ, ministry philosophy

6 Non Negotiable Traits You Need To Increase Your Leaderships Influence

By Carey Nieuwhof on Sep 28, 2023

As harsh as it sounds, here’s the truth: if a leader doesn’t buy you, they’ll rarely buy your idea.

Tags: Humility, leadership, Influence, competence, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

One Major Thing You Can Do To Improve Your Worship Service

By Joe Hoagland on Apr 8, 2022

What if I told you there is one main thing you can improve to make people want to come back time and time again.

Tags: Preaching, illustration, Time of Reflection, sermon prep, Sermon Prep, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

3 Things To Remember When You’re Browsing Through Social Media

By Randy Alcorn on Sep 29, 2022

"Just as we should be intentional about what we post, we should also be intentional about how we process what others are posting."

Tags: Covetousness, Competition, caution, social media, Rejoice with others  (view more)  (view less)

When Your Pain Makes It Hard To Say "It Is Well With My Soul”

By Randy Alcorn on Mar 28, 2024

The pain was great, but God’s grace rose to the occasion. Despite his heartbreak, Spafford could say without pretense, “It is well with my soul.”

Scripture: Psalm 31:7, John 14:27, Isaiah 66:12-14

Tags: pain, Trusting God, Grief, Loss, God's peace, Glorious Future, coping with loss, Resting in Christ, Pain  (view more)  (view less)

Pulpit Abuse: What It Is And How To Stop It

By Calvin Miller on Sep 22, 2024

Do your sermons always circle back to your favorite topics? If so, you might be practicing pulpit abuse.

Scripture: Matthew 24:28

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Words Create Worlds… Part 1

By Lance Witt on Aug 16, 2023

As a leader, your words carry more weight and they have more staying power. Your words get amplified and magnified.

Scripture: Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 12:25, Matthew 3:17, Proverbs 18:20, Proverbs 25:15  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Influence, kind words, Blessing Others, Encouraging Others

Never Waste A Good Sermon!

By Brandon Cox on Nov 8, 2023

Do you ever get that post-sermon, anti-climactic feeling that all of your research, all of your writing, all of your preparation just got burned up in a single half-hour shot?

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, podcast, video, Effective Teaching, Maximize Usefulness, Sermon Uses, ebook, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Simple Leadership Tips Which Could Help Every Pastor And Leader

By Ron Edmondson on Apr 12, 2021

I have a heart for leaders. Especially church leaders. I’d love to help others learn from my mistakes. In fact, this is a huge motivation for this blog and a lot of my ministry. With this in mind, I want to share a few things I’ve learned over the years. I hope it proves helpful.

Tags: Sabbath, Church leaders, pastoral leadership, authentic ministry

Vacation Bible School Promotion And Communication, Part One

By Lisa Eifert on May 14, 2024

What strikes simultaneous fear and joy in the hearts of church staff and volunteers this time of year? Yep, you guessed it, Vacation Bible School (VBS). Anyone who has been a part of planning VBS knows the vast amount of time, resources and imagination that go into making these events memorable experiences for kids.

Tags: Communication, Technology, delegation, VBS, communication  (view more)  (view less)